In the Garden

Downspout Disconnect

One way to achieve “Sustainable Living” is to employ the concept of “Low Impact Development” (LID) at home. LID is an innovative storm water management approach with a basic principle that is modeled after nature: manage rainfall and storm water runoff at the source and treat storm water as a resource, not a waste product to funnel away. The goal is to mimic nature by using design techniques that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and detain runoff close to its source. Click to view and download PDF

Rain Barrels

A rain barrel is any type of container used to catch water flowing from a downspout for future non-potable, exterior uses, such as irrigation. Rain barrels reduce the amount of storm water runoff by collecting roof runoff and storing the rainwater for future use. Rain barrels are one many ways to capture and reuse rain water and one way to achieve “Sustainable Living”.Click to view and download PDF

Low Impact Development

Click to learn more and download City of Monterey’s Low Impact Development Guide here

Monterey Bay Friendly Landscaping

Landscaping and garden maintenance activities can be major contributors to ocean pollution. Soils, yard wastes, overwatering and garden chemicals become part of the urban runoff mix that winds its way through streets, gutters and storm drains before entering the ocean. Click to view and download PDF

Landscape Certification

If your garden meets all of the Monterey Bay Friendly Landscaping Requirements, then your property has achieved a high level of sustainability and deserves recognition! If you are thinking of re-landscaping, you can use the Monterey Bay Friendly Landscaping standards to ensure that your project is designed to conserve water and reduce long-term maintenance costs.

Our Water Our World

As part of a program called Our Water Our World, we have partnered with retail stores to make less toxic pest control and gardening products more available to consumers, with the goal of reducing the amount of pesticides entering creeks and the Monterey Bay through storm drain systems. Participating stores provide fact sheets and “shelf talkers” to make it easy for you to choose a less or non-toxic product.

Shelf Talkers are small tags placed beneath less toxic products on store shelves that indicate the product is less- or non-toxic to people and pets, but formulated to control and get rid of the targeted pest problem.

Pest Control Products to Avoid

Aerosols and Home Foggers disperse chemicals in a way that significantly increase the risk of exposure to people and pets.

Pyrethroids are a threat to water quality and are highly toxic to aquatic insects and crustaceans. Avoid products that end in “thrin”. The exception to this is pyrethrin which is produced naturally from the chrysanthemum flower.

Lawn Pesticides are rarely, if ever, needed for home lawns. Chemicals in them are linked to adverse long term health effects. In particular weed and feed” type products, which mix fertilizers with pesticides, result in unnecessary pesticide use.